This invention relates to an improvement in a drain trough system generally associated with the eaves of a roof of a building, and is more particularly concerned with motorized apparatus which facilitates the cleaning and inspection of drain troughs.
Most residential-type houses or dwellings are constructed with pitched roofs, the slopes nature of which prevents the accumulation of water thereon. Beneath the lower extremity of a pitched roof, generally referred to as the eaves, there is positioned a drain trough or gutter, the purpose of which is to catch water which runs off the roof, and channel it to a downspout which leads the water away from the foundation of the house.
In the course of time, such drain troughs tend to accumulate debris such as fallen leaves, which obstructs the trough, thereby rendering it ineffective for its intended purpose. Also, in the course of time, the trough, usually of metal construction, may require maintenance such as scraping and/or painting. The servicing of such troughs for the purposes of cleaning or painting generally requires the use of a ladder, which makes the task difficult and often perilous.
Although a number of methods have been previously disclosed for simplifying the servicing of eaves-mounted drain troughs, none have been completely successful in operation or sufficiently practical to enjoy widespread commercial utilization. Mechanically modified drain troughs have been proposed, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 538,108, issued Apr. 23, 1895, which enable the trough to be manually tilted or inverted so that its contents will dump out. However, the specific features of such systems generally require use of costly non-standard, specifically constructed drain troughs. Also, their installation onto the eaves of a house may be so difficult as to render them impractical. This is particularly the case with modern houses wherein the roof overhangs by not more than about two inches the upper peripheral wooden trim panels of the underlying walls, said panels being generally referred to as the fascia.
The use of hinged brackets to mount a standard drain trough to the fascia in a manner permitting inversion of said trough to discharge its contents has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,074. Related devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,117,635 and 4,116,008.
The use of motorized means for cleaning debris from drain troughs and their associated downspouts has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,547. In said device, motorized means acts directly upon the debris in a propulsive manner, whereby its effectiveness is dependent upon the nature and amount of said debris.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide motorized apparatus to facilitate the cleaning and inspection of a drain trough.
It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus for the motorized removal of debris from a drain trough wherein said motorized removal does not act directly upon said debris in a propulsive manner.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a drain trough system involving motorized means for dumping debris from said trough.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a motorized apparatus of the aforesaid nature of simple and rugged construction which can be economically manufactured.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.